Retinal malfunction, due to degenerative retinal diseases, is a leading cause of blindness and visual impairment. Implantation of a retinal prosthesis is a technology for restoring some useful vision in individuals suffering from retinal-related blindness.
The retina is a multi-layered light-sensitive structure that lines the posterior, inner part of the eye. The retina contains photoreceptor cells, for example rods and cones, which capture light and convert light signals into neural signals transmitted through the optic nerve to the brain. Rods are responsible for light sensitive, low resolution black and white vision, whereas cones are responsible for sharp, high resolution color vision. Most cones lie in the fovea, which defines the center of the retina, and which allows for maximum acuity of vision. The central portion of the fovea consists of a high concentration of cones that gradually decreases at the peripheral portions of the fovea.